A gentleman's promise
by chloemcg
Summary: After discovering an orphaned baby girl named Katrielle on his doorstep one night, Professor Layton makes a promise to keep both her and his son Alfendi safe for as long as he can and be there for them. But what happens when he has to break that promise when he is forced to leave them?
1. Discovery

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the Professor Layton franchise, the rights to it belong to Level 5 games.**

 **A gentleman's promise**

* * *

It was a dark cold night of October.

Autumn had hit the city of London hard and there was a frigid chill to the air with a crisp scent always lingering.

Orange, yellow, brown and red leaves were carried away by numerous gusts of wind as had a habit of blowing around on occasion -just like they would every other October evening. Children were getting ready for Halloween and families were posting up decorations that would greet Trick-or-treaters at night. Spooky yet classic Halloween tunes flowed seamlessly through the air like a bird soaring, creating an atmosphere.

Professor Hershel Layton never could have expected to lead the life he'd been living now. After all of the hardships he'd been dealt with, after all the pain and trauma, he had friends and he even had a family. He had two adopted children -one was a young woman named Flora, whom he'd met after one of his many cases, and the other was young Alfendi, whom he'd found abandoned whilst out on a leisurely stroll by the Merseyshore docks one stormy day. It was after Alfendi came into his life that the Professor felt immeasurably happy and he thought that his family life couldn't get any better, he had not even considered adopting for a third time.

But he never expected what was about to happen one evening.

The gentleman archeologist strolled down the pavement with a tired smile on his face and he was on his way back from a long day at Greensheller university.

He was quite eager to return home and spend some time with his adopted son and he hoped that he would be able to get a good nights sleep after such an exhausting day of marking exams and tests that his students had dedicated weeks to writing out. It wasn't that he didn't like being a teacher or filling out exams or anything but it could take a lot out of a man at times, especially when a long weekend that promised relaxation awaited him...

He couldn't help but feel a strong surge of excitement at the mere thought of him just sitting on his favourite chair with a blanket draped over his lap, a book in his hands, and his head filled with puzzles. Heck, he didn't even notice that he slightly sped up with this eagerness of getting home, he was that excited!

...That and he was anxious to get home and see if Alfendi was alright.

The six-year-old knew how to look after himself, even though the Professor would insist that Flora (and even Luke on some occasions) babysit him while he worked over at the university. He knew that Al found it a tad annoying and even pouted at times because of it since he was a child who liked his time all on his own -no one knew why Al was such an isolated boy but if that was what he preferred then nobody could really blame him for that.

Professor Layton strolled casually down the road with one hand gripping tight to his top hat to stop it from blowing off his head. He pushed on through the strong winds that started to pick up and get increasingly harder to bare -seriously, he was starting to think that if he wasn't an adult as tall was he was then these winds could easily sweep him off of his feet and send him flying away, plus he refused to let his beloved hat blow straight off his head.

What sort of gentleman would he be if he didn't have his signature hat?

Minutes slipped by as he strolled casually on home, keeping both of his feet firmly planted on the pavement beneath them, as he trekked on and on. The road seemed to stretch in front of him so it seemed like no matter how many steps he took he would still never get any closer to his home.

That's how it appeared to him anyway.

On his way home, however, he was stunned into stopping dead in his tracks whence he spotted something -or _someone_ \- brusquely running down the pathway that led to his house; he didn't spot them too well at first as the mysterious figure seemed to have been no more than a silhouette to him, the distance and the fact that it was dark out contributed to this.

The Professor felt very confused.

Who was this person?

He hastened his steps and tried to stop this strange person in their tracks, and before he knew it he found that he had grabbed the mysterious figure's wrist in his hand and frowned at them with even more confusion. He could easily see now that this person was a woman yet he couldn't clearly identify her, or easily spot any distinguishable features about her.

Hershel couldn't make out her face much because of the hood that she wore to conceal her face but he could've sworn that he saw her eyes filled with tears as she held back a small sniffle of guilt and sadness, he could also make out her figure and noticed that she seemed unhealthily thin, almost to the point of appearing quite malnourished. He could even see that what little he could make out of her hair had clumps of dirt sticking to it so he couldn't make out her hair colour.

Seeing all of this confused the professor of archeology way more than he already was.

This woman seemed so upset and he couldn't help but wonder why...?

This was a strange situation.

A woman was trying to distance herself from him for some reason and she seemed quite frightened. The gentlemanly side wished to assist her in anyway possible because it was every gentleman's duty to help a lady in need, was it not? But he had to ask himself why? Why was she behaving like this? She was acting quite suspiciously and it was this behaviour that caused several questions to raise inside his mind.

Before all else, though, he decided to be polite and introduce himself.

"Greetings, Madame, my name is Professor Hershel Layton. Is there something the matter?" Professor Layton asked gently, "Perhaps I can be of assistance. After all, it is a gentleman's duty to help a lady in—!"

He gasped when all of a sudden the woman violently yanked her hand away with her teeth visibly clenched and tears continuing to stream down her face like little rivulets. She was clearly trying (and failing) to stop her tears from flowing like little streams down her face and she mumbled something low and inaudible to the gentleman archeologist's ears.

The Professor was absolutely stunned beyond words as she took off running down the street before he could even blink.

He reached his hand out towards her, a look of alarm pasting itself on his face. His dot-like eyes widened and his jaw dropped to allow his mouth to gape open as the cloaked woman ran away into the distance. He could only watch sadly as she blatantly ignored his calls for her and she disappeared into the darkness of night without looking back once.

"Wait! Come back!"

He lowered his outstretched arm and hung his head in defeat.

She was gone.

He had to wonder what that whole thing was about. Why would a woman sneak around like this? One could certainly argue that she was checking out some houses to see which ones would be good for trick-or-treating for a later date or something, however that explanation didn't sit well with him. No, there had to be more than that going on here.

But he didn't know what...

He sighed and shook his head. He was too tired to deal with this right now and he decided that he would report this strange encounter to the police later, there was nothing he could really do about it now.

So he continued his lengthy trek home, but that strange encounter stuck out in his mind for some strange reason. He couldn't stop thinking about how distraught that mysterious woman was and flashes of her tears continuously flashed in his mind.

He walked on and on until he made the turn towards the pathway where he had initially seen that woman run out from, the route to his house. He kept on walking passed several miscellaneous homes, flats and other buildings with a worn out spring in his steps -a flat-out sign of his exhaustion.

But then the Professor paused abruptly whence a sudden sound caught in his ears.

It sounded like a noise he'd heard before, and he couldn't quite bring himself believe what he was hearing. Out of instinct alone he somehow found the willpower within himself to break through his slight fatigue and start quickening his footsteps. He was now more than anxious to get home and it was more to investigate the noise at this point.

His surroundings became naught but a rushed blur, his breathing quickened drastically, his knees ached, his lungs felt like they were on fire as they thirsted for a proper intake of oxygen. He clutched his hands into fists at his sides and a cold sheen of sweat dripped down his face as he sprinted down the route he'd memorised for ages now, knowing exactly where to go.

Thankfully it didn't take him too long before he made it home.

He found himself panting heavily to catch his breath as he bent over to touch his aching knees, his face and the palms of his hands were covered in sweat and his eyes were still really wide whilst he tried hard to regulate his racing heartbeat. After a few moments he finally straightened his posture and he stared long and hard at the tall flat that stood before him.

Upon getting a good look, the professor didn't find much out of place.

But then he heard that noise again, he glanced down at the source of the noise and there was something that made him feel a bit of confusion and he arched his head to one side with an incredulous expression sticking on his rectangular-shaped face.

There, sat on his front doorstep, was a basket but it had a blanket draped over the top of it; the cotton blanket was dark green with a red and magenta chequered pattern and it looked quite soft. The basket was a bit too big to be a picnic basket, and seeing it piqued the gentleman's curiosity...however alarm bells started to go off in his mind when he saw something beneath the blankets moving.

The professor's dot-like eyes widened even more and he hardly hesitated when it came to leaning down and reaching a trepidatious hand forwards and gripping an edge of the blanket. He started to pull it off and reveal the mysterious thing that the blanket had been concealing and the sight shocked him to the core, this discovery was something that made his breath catch in his throat-he felt his spine stiffen and his heart sunk from his chest down into the pit of his stomach.

It was a baby!

When he saw the small infant, studying her carefully, he noticed that she appeared to have been just a month old. The baby girl slept peacefully with eyes closed and a small frown on her lips. Her cheeks were rosy and her skin was quite pale, atop her head she had a small curl of ginger-ish hair that drooped to the middle of her forehead. She didn't seem really aware of the Professor's presence but she did give a soft whimper as she shifted in her sleep in response to being exposed to the crisp autumn air.

The Professor couldn't help but feel a tad nostalgic at the moment since this was almost exactly like the time when he discovered baby Alfendi all alone in a cardboard box by the docks a couple years ago.

But then he started to ponder on what happened a minute ago.

That mysterious woman must have been this baby's mother, this would explain her suspicious behaviour as she seemed to not want to be seen. He didn't think himself as someone with powerful maternal instincts or anything. But he couldn't help but wonder why this little one was placed on _his_ doorstep? Of course he didn't mind the idea much but he wasn't exactly what he expected to be the number one person to give a baby to.

He was in deep focus and he stroked his chin thoughtfully, but he was snapped out of his train of thought when he heard a sudden noise that caused him to refocus his attention on the baby girl in the basket at his feet.

The baby seemed to have woken herself up and simply blinked up at him in silent confusion, baby blue eyes wide with total perplexity. She cooed up at him and made cute little babbling noises as she stared at the top-hat-wearing archeologist standing over her, and she even put her hand into her mouth and tried to gnaw her gums against her tiny pudgy fingers.

Professor Layton couldn't prevent a small grin from sweeping across his face.

This baby girl was quite adorable, he had to admit.

"Hello there, little one," He murmured as he wrapped the infant up in her blanket and successfully swaddled her in it to bundle her up since he didn't wish for her to catch a cold due to her being exposed in such low temperatures -and it _was_ fairly chilly this evening.

"Poor thing. You must be cold from being out here..."

The baby girl seemed to smile up at the gentleman with a toothless grin and she fidgeted in his arms and examined her surroundings with her extravagant sky blue pools wandering around the place so she could actively soak in her surroundings. She let out a few lively giggles as she shifted around and waved her sweet little arms around aimlessly.

The Professor couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as he reached down and playfully tickled the little girl's tummy, earning a flurry of adorable giggles from her.

"My, my, my, you certainly are an energetic little one aren't you?"

The Professor of archeology may not have known this baby for too long but she had already claimed a place in his heart, he could certainly see something special in this adorable little bundle of joy and he was already considering on taking this baby girl in should she officially be deemed abandoned and without any biological relatives to claim her. He decided to investigate the scene a bit more to find out if there was anything else -other than the baby and her blanket- that had been left behind.

He proceeded to delicately tuck the baby girl into the crook of his arm, making sure to do this very carefully as to not drop her or anything as catastrophic as that. He didn't want to risk her getting injured after all. Then he lowered himself to his knees and crouched down to investigate the basket a bit more thoroughly. He leaned in and squinted his eyes, getting a closer look at it and he could see that inside the basket was a small envelope that had been left sealed -clearly there was a note or something inside of it that contained a great deal of importance.

Meanwhile, the Professor pondered on discovering this note, perhaps it could explain the reasons for this sweet little girl's abandonment and why she was left on his doorstep of all people.

Maybe the contents of this letter could answer all of his previous inquiries and explain a bit about the mother...?

He carefully lay the baby girl back in her basket so he could spare both hands and do this task successfully and properly read the letter; he then reached down picked up the envelope, unsealed it by swiping his finger across the fold and removed the letter from within. When he held the note in his hands both eyes carefully scanned the words written neatly across the note, letting all the information sink in as he read the letter that (indeed) revealed the circumstances of the baby girl's abandonment.

 **"To whomever finds this note," **It read, **"If you are reading this then you have found my baby. I am afraid that I cannot afford to keep her anymore since I have found myself in bad living conditions which is not a good environment in which to raise her. I am ashamed to say that this is my last resort but I believe that it is what's best for her and so I must humbly ask that you provide a good home for my baby girl, she is _always_ hungry so I ask that you love and treat her like you would love your own child. P.S. Her name is Katrielle (or Kat for short) —Thank you."**

Professor Layton felt his heart breaking in half when he read this note explaining the circumstances of the mother of the abandoned baby girl -the poor woman must have been in serious financial dept if she had to resort to giving up this precious infant to give her a better chance at life. He couldn't help but glance from the note back to the baby whom now had a saddened look in her eyes, she looked as though she were about to cry actually.

The tiny girl squirmed with discomfort in her basket as her lower lip quivered with upset and a rather foolish part of the Professor wondered whether she was aware of her situation and was now lamenting on a tragic turn of events? Despite how very young she was...

He exhumed a breath he didn't know he'd been withholding and swallowed to loosen his tightening throat and glanced down at the small infant child. His eyes shimmered with sympathy and he couldn't help but feel quite bad for the mother and now understood that she abandoned her child because she no longer had the requirements to look after her properly.

"So your name is Katrielle? It is very nice to meet you, little one~"

Professor Layton reached into the basket and picked a whimpering Katrielle back up again, cradling her tiny body in his arms and bringing her close to him as a means to comfort her, he crooned softly with his voice a soft whisper as he rocked her a little bit as a means to keep her calm and pacified, all while Kat managed to look up at him with a teary-eyed look of curiosity.

"There, there, my dear..." He soothed "...I promise that you shall be safe with me."

Baby Kat snuffled as she snuggled into the warmth that came from the body heat of the kind-hearted gentleman that held her. She nuzzled her head against the Orange fabric of the long-sleeved jumper he wore beneath his dark brown jacket, feeling his heartbeat pound against her tiny ear. She closed her eyes and gave a small contented coo as she seemed to relax instantly in the top-hatted gentleman of archeology's arms.

The Professor couldn't help but feel his heart melt a bit; he hadn't felt anything like this since Alfendi was a baby, he could easily recognise the sensation of his heart soaring whilst a delightful inner warmth spread to his whole body to give it a feeling that made him feel extremely happy.

A deep-throated chuckle flew from his lips as he then proceeded to shuffle Kat into one arm as he used a finger from his spare hand to tickle her nose and he was rewarded with the cutest bunch of giggles he'd ever heard. Little Kat squirmed in his arms and kicked her legs in an attempt to escape the tickling and she managed to free one of her tiny hands from the restraints of her blanket and somehow furl her tiny digits around the long finger that stretched out to her, her tiny hands not being able to completely wrap around the tan appendage.

The gentleman's melting heart became so warm that he almost couldn't take how endearing she was whilst he bounced her in his arms a bit, causing a few more giggles to escape from her teeny vocal chords, and he smiled down at her playfully as he rubbed her nose against his own.

Little Kat smiled, delighted at the affection she was receiving, and giggled some more.

Professor Layton had begun the process of standing up, climbing to his feet so he could stand up properly, and when he was on his feet, he smiled down at the infant. He started to step up the small staircase as he made his way towards the front door of his home. He had the intention of taking baby Kat to the police station later on and seeing about adopting her as his own, he saw a spark in her eyes that he couldn't help but fall in love with.

That was then he promised to himself that, one way or another, this baby girl would no longer have to be alone.

He would make sure of that.

"I'll protect you for as long as I can...and I will always be there for you."

* * *

 **A/N: Here's the first part of this three-chapter fanfic.**

 **I am currently still playing "Layton's mystery journey" and I'm enjoying it very much, and I am quite confused as to why the Professor had to abandon his children? This is really my interpretation of what happened and I'm also going to add some fluff in here as well. It's been awhile since I posted a Professor Layton story (a gentleman's Pearl doesn't count) and I thought that it might be a good idea.**

 **I am hoping that you guys like it.**

 **Please review and fave.**

 **-Chloemcg**


	2. Adjustment

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the Professor Layton franchise, the rights to it belong to Level 5 games.**

 **A gentleman's promise**

* * *

Alfendi was tired, he was hungry and he was quite bored and restless.

The six-year-old boy didn't know what to think at the minute as he waited in the sitting room of the Layton household, waiting for his father to return home, he fidgeted in his comfy little cushion constantly as a means to entertain himself but he couldn't help but feel a variety of emotions that made his hair continuously change from their usual shades of purple to dark red.

The last hour or so had been quite trying for the boy since he had been vigilantly awaited for his beloved father's return from a long day at The Greensheller university where he taught, but he was pretty late and this made Al feel quite concerned since his father would always arrive at just around the same time each night he'd have to work.

He sat with his head hung low and his untidy mop of colour-changing hair fell over his hair as he eyed his own two feet lazily. At the minute he couldn't look anywhere else but towards the floor, finding it better to stare at then anxiously glancing over to the clock every five seconds, as he drew a variety of shapes with his eyes as a means of entertaining himself.

"Al? Alfendi...?" A slightly high-pitched but graceful voice broke him out of his thoughts and he found himself glancing towards the source, quickly recalling that his elder adopted sister -Flora- was there too with the intent to keep a close eye on him, even though Al normally preferred to stay home alone yet he also understood that his father simply fretted about the dangers of leaving him all by his lonesome.

The woman had a light-hearted grin curled at her lips, and she gave the worried Al some silent reassurance.

The "Golden apple" may had grown up in a town surrounded by robots, but it was clear that she was pretty great with children -yet her cooking always looked like some sort of evil concoction from the depths of the underworld, seriously she made him a cake with the unnecessary ingredients of marmalade and tuna as the filling, accompanied by turkey frosting and Marshmallows sprinkled on top. Alfendi felt that he was infinitely lucky that he nor his father ever ate her meals and never got food poisoning as a consequence.

...But neither of them ever planned to tell Flora that.

Flora was sat beside the boy, she was staying silent for a lengthy few minutes as she thought of what she could possibly say to break the rather uncomfortable silence between her and little Alfendi and she, too, was confused as to what was happening with their father since he was rather late than he'd normally be.

"Are you alright?"

Al opened his mouth to answer her, to inform her that he was fine, when the sound of the door swinging open cut him off -this caused his mood to perk and, without another word, he instantly leapt off of the chair and went to greet his father and Flora followed close behind him.

They both saw the gentleman of archeology stroll down the corridor leading into the kitchen, yet he seemed to have been carrying something in his arms. He seemed to have this air of complete happiness about him.

Confused, Flora approached the top-hat-wearing gent and asked him why he had come home so late and what he was carrying in his arms.

Professor Layton kept on walking and smiled warmly, black dot-like eyes gleaming with absolute delight, and he glanced at Flora and asked her and Alfendi in a quiet and low toned voice, "Alfendi. Flora. Would you like to come and meet your new sister...?"

Both of the Professor's adopted children froze with eyes wide with stunned surprise.

A sister...?

The Professor finally stopped walking and turned a bit to reveal the bundle he'd been holding, little Kat had fallen asleep and was blissfully aware of the sudden fuss that she was about to be bombarded with.

Flora's eyes became enlarged when she noticed the baby girl being cradled in her adopted father's arms. She fought back a squee from seeing how adorable the infant was, she couldn't resist getting a closer look by leaning in and crooning over little Kat, her smile was absolutely huge and practically sparkling.

The little baby girl was so little with that little gingery curl on its head, it's eyes were closed and it was still and appeared to have been fast asleep.

Unbeknownst to the two adults, though, Al's big yellow eyes were completely trained on the tiny pink chubby thing that was held in his father's arms.

The young boy didn't like this, what if this little thing made his father forget about him? Before this small infant came into his life it was him and Flora who the Professor loved...and now he feared about being cast off like a boat on the ocean sea and never to be thought about ever again. He couldn't help but scrunch up his pointy nose in disgust, his hair turned from purple to red and his yellow eyes gleamed with this maleficent Orange.

The six-year-old hoped that if he glared at it long enough then the ground would swallow it up and he would be the only child once again.

But then the baby opened its small eyes a tad, clearly shed woken up, and she spared a swift glance over to the boy whom looked on from afar and Al's heart started to melt a bit. He almost felt his heart become caccoon end in this warm and fuzzy sensation.

 _Wait a second, no!_

He shook his head defiantly because he was determined that he wouldn't be captivated and turned into a cutesy fool like Flora had been reduced to. A pang of jealousy had hit him straight in the heart, much like an arrow would pierce ones flesh.

He didn't like this at all.

* * *

It had taken some time before Kat's adoption had been finalised and it was before the Layton family knew it until a week had passed by and almost everyone had grown accustomed to having a new baby around.

Flora was delighted to have a new sister to help take care of when the Professor was too busy with marking exams for the college students, the Professor himself had been the one to mostly dedicate most of his time to his new child and lost many nights sleep to having being the one running to her beck and call.

Alfendi, though, was still getting used to having the little one around.

He was very confused about it all.

He simply couldn't understand why such a ugly little chubby thing like a baby could warrant so much coddling, especially if it stole and hogged all the attention now. Al felt left out and unwanted so he had holed himself in his room most of the time...he felt a strange bitterness towards the little thing and it got worse with everyday that passed.

The things that irked him most about this new development was that the baby would wake up in the middle of the night, being very inconsiderate of those who are trying to sleep, throw things that it could get its tiny hands on, gnaw its yucky slimy pink gums on anything and everything, and it would always brainwash both Flora and his father into doing everything for it -kind of like mindless zombies actually.

It wasn't until one day when Al had been slinking down the hallway in his normal sulk when he paused upon spotting the door to the new baby's room.

It had been left slightly ajar.

He wanted to brusquely stroll passed it but something else had called to his more curious nature; he wouldn't tell anybody but while he had been mad at his alleged new sibling, he was also rather interested. When he was interested, he always became annoyed and his childlike curiosity was letting him be pulled into the room as if he was being pulled in by the force of a mental magnet.

Then he sighed and finally relented when that curiosity won him over, it shouldn't hurt to get a better look...

The six-year-old boy's hair was its usual crimson blaze that normally implied anger, frustration, jealousy, envy and resentment. The untidy mop of curls were dishevelled and he couldn't keep a sulky scowl off of his face while he mentally pondered his own decisions to himself. The boy pushed passed the White door and squeezed into the room, trying to hide the evidence that he was there to begin with should certain people investigate.

He crept into the room and studied his surroundings, making sure to be absolutely silent, especially since he wasn't even supposed to be in here.

The walls of the nursery had been painted a light yellow colour, the scent of paint clung to the air indicated that this room was freshly painted on and it was a last-minute thing more than anything. The floors were made from super soft carpet, much like the soft carpet that he had in his own bedroom. The curtains had been drawn as to create a comforting darkness in the room. On the shelves there were several stacks of books and the floor was strewn with toys and dummies and other items. There was also a changing table jammed into the corner of the room.

Al's attention was mainly drawn on to the soft blue and frilly cot that stood in the centre of the room.

The boy slowly plucked up the courage to leave the doorframe and approached the cot with total caution, he stepped around the toys and weaved himself around the room until he reached the foot of the cot. He was thankful to have been only just tall enough to be able to peer into the cot without having to stand on his toes too much.

There it was...the intruder.

Alfendi's brow left furrowed and thus painted a look of confusion on the boy's face. It seemed pretty peaceful at the moment and appeared to have been very content, it's eyes were closed and its chest rose and fell softly while it snored gently; the baby girl was wrapped up tight in her fuzzy pink blanket.

"Huh, she does look kind of...cute..." He admitted aloud in the form of a mumble, but then he realised what words had just left his lips and he shook his head to snap himself out of it.

 _'Arrgh, what's wrong with me!? This new baby is my enemy, she's taking papa's affection away from me!'_

He mentally admonished himself, then he turned his focus back on the sleeping baby.

Alfendi narrowed his eyes darkly with naked dislike for the newborn.

He wasn't going to stand idly by and let this little pink ball of flesh and bones take all of his love away, he had supposed that the human heart could only hold so much love inside and if that love had transferred from him to this little thing then he supposed that nobody liked him anymore. He tried so hard to glare at the sleeping baby, and he forced it as hard as his little facial features would allow until it physically hurt.

Deciding that he had enough of this, Al turned on his feet and started back towards the nursery door. He remained indignant while he sauntered casually off and went to leave the room. But a sudden sound had stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Bwaa?"

Al froze in place.

He had a feeling he knew what noise came from but he wasn't entirely certain, and he most definitely didn't want to turn around and see that thing again...but something inside him stirred and he found that he had completely turned around before he could stop himself. He had been proven correct anyhow, the sound had come from the cot where the baby lay.

The young boy cautiously reproached the cot and peered in to find the baby girl once again, but she was looking straight at him with her giant blue eyes staring.

Alfendi hadn't noticed before but the newborn's big eyes were just hypnotic to him, they were the very same colour to beautiful crystal blue diamonds with ivory white pupils. She looked so frail and feeble, but she was also very active at the same time.

All the while, the baby girl looked right at the boy and blinked her huge eyes at him.

The six-year-old didn't know what to say at first but then he managed to glare at her once again and he put on the biggest stern frown he could and he spoke in a low and dark tone, "You really think you can put me under your spell? Well, it won't work! There's nothing you can do that will..."

He trailed off when he noticed that the baby was starting to whimper at him with a sad look.

Al tilted his head to one side with confusion. What was the child doing? Her big eyes were starting to water and her lower lip began to quiver and tremble while she let out high-pitched upset whines to communicate her distress. Alfendi began to feel a bit unnerved but he also felt a little fearful for the baby.

"What's the matter with you?" He asked, trying to mask his concern with another indignant act.

The baby reached out towards Al's face as if trying to communicate what she wanted. It was becoming clear that she probably wanted to just be held, but the older boy didn't know if that were a wise idea considering that she may take the chance to make him bend to her every whim too. He felt unsettled and sweat started to drip down his face.

He tried to reassure himself to calm his nerves, but he could feel the goosebumps ride up his arms as he swallowed nervously. "Don't give in...sh-she...you're just going to use your witchcraft and turn me into a mindless drone too!"

But then the baby started to cry her lungs out. Hearing the cries of the newborn made Alfendi panic a bit and he waved his hands about frantically, hoping it would somehow get her to stop her loud screeching, but it was an exercise in futility. The boy's hair became a tad more dishevelled and he pled with the small one.

"Nooo! Please don't cry, please don't! You cannot let papa know that I've been in here!"

But his words fell on deaf ears as the little girl, Katrielle, didn't seem to have been interested in negotiations. She cried and cried and bawled as she continued to have her little pudgy arms outstretched towards the older boy and tears relentlessly poured down her little pudgy cheeks like little waterfalls.

Al's eyes softened and his heart ached for some reason and he couldn't help but grab at his own ears in a desperate attempt to try and block out the sounds. It didn't work in the slightest...he racked his brains to try and figure out a way to reverse the situation and get the baby to calm down to avoid alerting his father.

Kat cried so hard that her throat was beginning to strain, her legs started kicking her blankets off and she wriggled about.

Alfendi finally dropped his act of not caring and tried reasoning with the one-month-old infant whilst he clasped his hands together desperately.

"Shhh! Stop crying! Shush! What on earth do you want from me!?"

The teeny girl just continued crying, leaving Alfendi totally clueless. He didn't understand what he could do to calm the screaming infant since he had never been in such a situation before and he was only young. The young boy now just searched his surroundings whilst praying for an answer to magically appear right in front of him.

It didn't.

But then Alfendi had a sudden idea, an idea that had jumped out at him. He had no idea how or why on earth it occurred to him but he figured that it wouldn't hurt to try and he was quite desperate now.

"Um! Uhhh! H-How about a puzzle, would you like to hear a puzzle?"

That instantly shut the crying girl up as she sniffled and sobbed, suddenly interested in what the older boy had just said. Her teary eyes were huge and her throat was raw from all the screaming she had done, she put her hand in her mouth and began suckling on her fingers and getting spit all over them.

Alfendi almost heaved a sigh of relief and actually managed a small sincere smile at the baby. It seemed that little Kat was interested in puzzles, despite likely not knowing what puzzles even were at such a young age, and that actually made his secret bitterness melt away instantly.

The small infant reached her podgy little arms in the boy's direction yet again and made her eyes appear absolutely huge to add to her own cuteness. She was clearly trying for a puppy-dog look.

Al heaved a deep breath as his hair turned from crimson red to peaceful purple and he finally decided to relent and just satisfy the baby and besides, how could anyone resist such a look?

It was physically and scientifically impossible!

He leaned forwards, reaching into the cot, and took baby Katrielle into his own arms. She was a warm little weight in his arms and felt a bit heavier than he thought and he would've been lying if he said that he didn't struggle to hold her even slightly.

Al couldn't hold back a kind-hearted grin as he adjusted the infant in his arms and sat on the floor, cross-legged, then settled Kat on his lap. He felt a tad awkward about doing this and there was a nagging fear that he'd hurt her accidentally but he found that the baby girl seemed to acclimate pretty quickly to her new position and started to play with Alfendi's long, slender fingers as he let her fiddle with them.

"Sooo..." The boy began thoughtfully, eyes wandering to the ceiling, "Which puzzle shall we start off with?"

* * *

 _An hour later..._

The Professor meandered down the hall ways of the upstairs area, looking around for Al in hopes that he could find him somewhere around the house.

He had wanted to come to talk to the boy since he had noticed that his adopted son had been rather sulky since Katrielle arrived; the Professor knew that Alfendi was probably feeling a tad jealous due to the fact that the new baby was taking away some of the attention away. He could sort of understand that and he knew that he had to explain to his son that he didn't love him any less just because there was somebody else living with them.

The Professor had to wonder where Alfendi could be...?

The boy normally wasn't this hard to locate. Professor Layton couldn't help but feel some concern for his younger adopted child deep down in his heart, especially since that he hasn't been able to find the boy anywhere -not even in his bedroom where he would sometimes sit in there and sulk for some reason or another. Despite being a mere 6 years of age, Alfendi behaved more like a teenager than a child his age and it could be frustrating to deal with such an attitude but he knew that his son deeply cared deep down.

But then the Professor's focus was drawn to the door of Katrielle's new bedroom, and he became extra suspicious when he noticed that it had been left slightly more ajar then when he had left it. His brows knitted together to paint a unique look of a mix between suspicion and confusion as he raised a hand to scratch at his chin, slowly walking up to the nursery doorway.

Alfendi couldn't have snuck in when he wasn't looking, could he..?

The gentleman went over to the door and gently nudged it open with his foot and he slowly peered into the dark room, he squinted his eyes so his sight could adjust to the dimness of the darkened room.

What he saw made his jaw drop in disbelief and he had to blink three times just so his mind could properly register what he was seeing.

Alfendi was lying down on the carpet whilst he propped the back of his head against the wall, fast asleep with baby Kat laying against his chest. The boy had his hand resting on the baby girl's back to not only keep her supported but to also make sure that she wouldn't fall off, and Kat was sleep too but she had one hand inside her mouth whilst she suckled on her own thumb and her other hand had a tight grip on Al's ponytail, probably for security, she rested the side of her small head against the upper part boy's chest.

It was a very heart-warming sight...

The Professor smiled warmly upon seeing that his son had changed his tune about a little sister.

He knew that his son would warm up to her if he gave her a chance, and now he was absolutely sure that he would help to keep her safe whenever she needed help. Seeing his precious children like this made him feel so proud to have them in his life -once upon a time he was a lonesome man but now he had the greatest family a man could ever ask for.

He crept over to the two and looked over his two youngest children, his heart constricting within his chest, and he let his shadow fall over the two sleeping children as he watched them snooze soundly on the floor. He felt profoundly lucky to have been blessed to have witnessed this and he wished that he had a camera...because then he would have loved to have taken a photograph to capture this wonderful moment.

Smiling softly, he shook his head.

Perhaps he didn't need to talk with Alfendi because it seemed that he'd grown attached to Katrielle himself...

The Professor removed and dropped his brown jacket over his son and youngest daughter, wrapping them both in it to keep them warm before tucking it around them whilst being careful not to disturb either of them, and then he chuckled softly at the sight. Then he turned back towards the door and slowly started to sneak out of the room to let both Alfendi and Kat enjoy their snooze, yet he couldn't help but turn his head to glance over at them once more.

Alfendi shifted slightly in his slumber, arms still cradling Kat properly against his chest, and he mumbled something inaudible beneath his breath.

"Hmm..." Professor Layton's smile broadened as he silently tipped his top hat at the two of them. He could feel a nice sensation of pride swell inside his chest as he reached for the door knob and started to close the door and quietly shut it behind him as he made his silent exit.

"Sleep well, my children..."

* * *

 **A/N: Here's the second chapter, this time with things seen from young Alfendi's perspective.**

 **Its full of fluff!** **I already have the last chapter in progress but it's going to involve a crucial time in Katrielle's life and I'm not going to say anymore than that just encase I spoil Laytons mystery journey -I hope you guys like this chapter anyway and I made sure to add some fatherly Professor Layton too.**

 **I hope you like it, guys, please review and favourite.**

 **-Chloemcg**


	3. Disapearing

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from the Professor Layton franchise, the rights to it belong to Level 5 games.**

 **A gentleman's promise**

* * *

 _Five years later..._

The home of Professor Hershel Layton had never felt so hollow with sadness.

Professor Layton's bedroom was dark and feeling somewhat empty, the darkened room was only lit by the illumination of pale candlelight, the room was dark otherwise, as he took in all the information that he'd just been informed of. All of the calm that should have flowed through the atmosphere had been sucked out and replaced with the sort of atmosphere that created an empty and harrowing air.

The desk he was sat at was neat and tidy but there was a note that had been set aside, the letter was slightly crumpled on the desk that seemed much colder than it should have been. The envelope that originally contained the letter had been anxiously torn and just set aside on the top of a short stack of other envelopes -but none quite as menacing as the now-dominant one.

He had been faced with lots of hard situations before; he'd had been on several adventures, seen the whole world and he'd had been through some rough patches in his lifetime.

But none quite like this.

He tried to ignore the terrible letter that threatened to tear apart the life he'd created but Professor Layton's heart was heavy, his mind was as blank as an untouched canvas and his chest swelled with feelings of despair. He couldn't help but feel his heart break, his hands were covering his face and his dot-like eyes were overflowing with tears that threatened to break out and flow down his cheeks.

Yet he couldn't allow that. He couldn't let himself break down, not when he had to be strong more than he'd ever been before.

As he started scrubbing his face with the palms of his hands, pulling his fingertips along the bags sagging beneath his eyes, the professor heaved a deep breath from deep within his lungs and tried his best to collect his now fragmented thoughts, his thoughts had been scattered in various places in his mind and

The letter that lay on the desk, uncaring for the dreadful atmosphere it brought with it, had been for the Professor but it contained the notice that Scotland Yard needed his help to solve a serious mystery that could potentially lead them to a dangerous criminal and that he'd have to leave his home, leave London. Now, the Professor would normally respond to such a letter by politely declining but he wasn't going to risk the safety of those he loved if he could help it...but to leave his house...to leave his family... _his children_...the thought broke his heart.

And worse, he wasn't allowed to tell anyone; only his old friends soon-to-be commissioner Barton and now chief inspector Chelmey knew.

"I...I have to leave..." The Professor murmured softly to himself.

Before doing anything else, he grabbed the note and tossed it in the bin.

Then it was without wasting another moment that the top-hat-wearing gentleman rose from the seat perched by his desk and he strolled over towards one of the corners of his office. The office was dark so he had a bit of difficulty in locating the item he had required, however he managed to find it after fumbling about in the dark for a moment, and then he leaned down to peer over said object and he reached down to open its lid.

Upon finding it, the Professor went back and fourth to fetch the required objects needed for travelling and started to pack his old trunk with things he'd need such as his fine tea set, a large puzzle encyclopaedia, several extra pieces of clothing, a photoframe...containing a picture of his old apprentice, Luke, and himself...he sucked in a deep breath when a wave of nostalgia hit him like a freight train.

He hadn't even thought of how this would affect Luke.

Should he include him on this too?

He could trust him. After all, whenever the Professor needed to go on a trip he knew he could count on his former now-adult apprentice to stick by his side and he normally accompanied him on his excursions...perhaps he could explain the situation to Luke and request that he watched over his children?

The Professor shook it off.

He had to focus.

The gentleman finally chucked in a few extra necessities that he couldn't be bothered to even really dwell on.

It was after he'd completely stuffed his trunk to prepare for his journey that he'd picked it up (it was shockingly not so heavy despite how much he'd packed) and he started to idly wander around the office with millions of thoughts crossing his mind.

The professor had to wonder how long he'd be gone...? How long would he have to leave an eleven-year-old Alfendi and five-year-old Katrielle on their own? Well, he'd hoped that it wouldn't be long so he could avoid having to completely abandon his children for too long however his all-too-famous "intuition" told him that Scotland Yard needed him for this mission and he had no clue as to how long this mystery would take to solve and, given how complicated the mystery surrounding this person sounded, it would probably take a long time...

He crossed the room to go over towards the window that shown the whole world outside, leaning forwards to see passed the sheen of the acrylic window and what he saw as he peered to look out there made his dot-like eyes soften.

The streets were dark (it was barely morning) and were dimly-lit by the street lamps, but a very ominous yet apparent thick fog covered the world below.

Somehow it made the atmosphere more gloomy.

The professor couldn't help but feel the reality of all of this hit him hard as his body started to wrack softly with the sobs that worked their way through him. He raised a hand and pressed against his rectangular face and he tried his best to hold in his tears as best as he possibly could, he knew that crying like this wasn't gentlemanly but he just couldn't hold them in -not anymore.

He sniffled as a single cold tear slid down his cheek and he gazed longingly out the window.

"Daddy?"

Professor Layton jumped, startled out of his wits, and whirled around to see the origin of whoever spoke. He rubbed his sleeve over his face to try and swiftly erase any evidence that he'd been crying in the process and thankfully, as it was so dark, there shouldn't be many signs of his distress anyway.

The Professor felt his heart drop into his stomach when he saw the tiny girl stood just outside the corridor, rubbing her sapphire blue eyes sleepily as she leaned heavily against the doorframe in her light pink nightie. She clutched a plush dog teddy in her left hand as it dangled from her hand and dragged along the floor she stood on.

"Daddy?" Katrielle asked again, her tiny voice slurred sleepily, "What's going on?"

 _Oh dear, I must have woken her up..._

The Professor pondered on how he could handle this.

Kat was a very perceptive child and he knew that he had to tell her something to satisfy that childish curiosity that all of his children had been blessed with. He didn't know how to explain that he was leaving, though...let alone a child whose five years old!

He lowered himself to one knee to meet his daughter on eye level.

"Katrielle, listen to me carefully. Daddy has to go on a trip and may not be back for awhile..." He smiled softly at the small child "...I need you to be a big brave girl for me, and stay with Alfendi. Can you do that for me?"

Little Kat had no idea what this all meant as she frowned in confusion with innocent big eyes staring directly at her father. The Professor could see the gears turning in the small girl's mind as he stared into her big blue eyes as he picked his small daughter up from the floor and kissed her head multiple times whilst he held her tight, he blinked back tears of grief.

The small girl, meanwhile, was starting to feel more confused.

Why was her daddy seeming so sad...?

The gentleman smiled softly as he cuddled his little girl.

The Professor carried Kat over to his plush chair and settled her down so she could sit on his lap. He gazed down at her with as happy a look as he could put on his face but his inner thoughts were a jumble. He knew that with Kat awake he'd not be able to leave the house, the guilt would overcome him so much, alas he knew that for this to work he'd have to get her to fall asleep.

He decided on the one method that he knew would work:

A puzzle.

He closed his eyes and sighed, taking a moment to think of a good puzzle that he'd hoped would start to get his inquisitive youngest child to sleep. Then an idea occurred to him and a warm genuine smile spread across his lips.

"Do you remember when I told you of the night when I found you?"

Kat nodded her head meekly as she hugged her teddy tight and buried her chin into the velvet fabric the plush canine was made from, hiding a small half-hearted smile behind it. She was told from the beginning that she had been found on her father's doorstep when she was a tiny infant and honestly, she loved hearing that story. It didn't bother her that her daddy wasn't really her daddy but as long as he cared for her then she would forever call the man named Hershel Layton daddy.

The Professor couldn't help but grin wider as he winked playfully at the girl.

"Now, I've got a puzzle that I want you to solve."

Kat nodded eagerly, eyes widening in wonderous awe.

"W-What is it, daddy? What is it?"

"The puzzle is: If you are not really my child then who exactly are you?"

Understandably, the small child just seemed totally bewildered by that puzzle. Her eyes were wide and her mouth had become a little frown of total confusion. The professor had hoped that this puzzle would keep Katrielle occupied for quite sometime, perhaps even a few years.

Unbeknownst to the five-year-old seated on his lap, though, he had started rocking her in his arms just like one would with an infant in hopes of lulling her to sleep.

It was working.

Kat's eyelids sunk over her big blue eyes with white irises as she rested her head against his chest -she started to listen to the strong and soothing thumps of his heartbeat and she couldn't help but hug her toy dog tightly for security as she let her eyes drift shut when her consciousness ebbed away.

It wasn't very long until she surrendered to the dark yet soothing depths of slumber.

The Professor very slowly moved to stand up, being extremely mindful of the small child that snoozed away atop his lap. She shifted lightly but her slumber remained undisturbed as she yawned unconsciously and hugged her teddy dog tightly so the stuffing made the cloth pooches' head bulge.

Despite being a light sleeper, Kat thankfully remained asleep as her father lay Kat back down on the seat and then proceeded to gently pull a blanket over her tiny body. Professor Layton could feel his eyes water once more as he tucked the blankets around her, leaned down and placed a very gentle kiss upon her forehead and he held his breath as she shifted her position again but didn't awaken.

The gentleman archeologist reached up to lower his top hat so it could shield most of his facial expression from view, so it could hide the rest of his sadness for the situation he'd been put into. He could feel his heart sink with regret as he whispered to his sleeping adopted daughter softly, "I love you so much, sweetheart..."

He exhaled through his nose as he picked himself up, stretching his spinal chord which had started to feel as though it was being bunched up together due to all the moving around. He wondered whether this meant that he was starting to show signs of ageing or something...?

Then he started to quickly tidy things up, such as walking over towards the bin and quickly taking that initial letter out of the rubbish. He figured out that it would be a bad idea to leave it in there because he couldn't risk the children finding this note, if they did then they'd know everything and that could put them in danger.

After stuffing the note in his pocket, the Professor then sorted out the rest of the things he needed to organise quickly: He made sure to write the phone number for his own parents down and tape it on to the fridge, as well as write down Flora's phone number, and he started to realise that Flora would be devastated about this...

He shook his head again to snap out of it.

"I can't let myself get distracted!" He scolded himself.

Then he carried on preparing by making it so that breakfast was easily accessible for the children to make themselves, and he also put the "safety mode" on the toaster to avoid having any incidents detailing of the children burning themselves by mistake. Then he started to get bowls and spoons out from the cupboards and drawers and he placed them on the kitchen counter.

 _"Even if I'm gone, I shall not risk my children harming themselves!"_

He thought to himself, justifying the need to do all of this to himself for whatever reason.

A gentleman was never underprepared -especially in situations such as these.

It wasn't too long before daylight started to break and the light of morning lit up the Layton house. The daylight did somewhat dispel that gloomy atmosphere from awhile ago and that was a good thing...but for Professor Layton, however, this meant that he had to get a move on and make his leave and this was getting more and more difficult to make himself do.

The gentleman walked back over to where he placed his overly-packed trunk and picked it up with one hand before he started to amble over towards the front door and it was when he stood in front of it that he couldn't resist a look back over to gaze at a sleeping Katrielle one last time.

Hershel looked down, feeling a huge amount of guilt.

He'd already said his "so-longs" to Alfendi and Katrielle already (while they were sleeping) and he knew that he couldn't stay any longer or else he'd never be able to bring himself to take on this mystery that Scotland Yard so needed him for and he _needed_ to go. He suddenly found that it was hard to move his legs and he tried his best to look away from the sight of his sleeping daughter, but that was very difficult too...

He hesitated but he opened the door swiftly and walked out, letting the door close behind him.

Katrielle's eyes snapped open when she heard the sound of the front door closing and she jolted upright and awoken herself almost immediately. She had a feeling she knew who it was who left but she didn't want to believe it, she knew her daddy said he was going away for awhile but there was something up here...

She climbed off the chair, threw the blanket off of her and left her toy dog behind as she frantically ran for the door. She had to stand on her toes to reach the knob but she managed to successfully grab hold of it as she yanked on it. The door was a bit stubborn but it opened.

The second it did, Kat burst out the front door and gave chase, sprinting as fast as her little legs could carry her. Her long ginger curls swayed from left-to-right as she bolted through the thickening fog that seemed to try and block her from her beloved father whom just stood at the end of the road.

The young girl stopped when he was in her sights once more, frowning in confusion. She couldn't understand what was going on here. She couldn't understand why her daddy was just going away all of a sudden and she felt frightened by this. She knew that her daddy would leave to go on adventures sometimes with his former apprentice, Luke, but this felt different then all those other times.

She didn't think he was going on a normal adventure where he'd go for a few days and come back with tales of amazing archeological finds and souvenirs.

Something was wrong and she knew it.

The young girl could feel her eyes swell with tears as saw the top-hatted gent turn around to face her whilst a saddened smile curled at the corners of his lips, his hat shielded his eyes from her view, and he tipped his hat to her. He was clearly trying to disguise his sadness with that same confidence that a gentleman normally shown.

Then, without another word, Professor Layton continued to walk away into the fog.

"Where are you going? Daddy? Daddy!"

Kat broke into a run once again, her arm outstretched towards the top-hatted figure walking off and disappearing into the thick clouds of fog. Kat felt her little heart shatter when he turned away and it was when she lost sight of the older gentleman that, with all the remaining strength she had, she cried out as loud as she could. Her bare feet slammed against the pavement as she gave chase with her legs quickly giving out due to young and tired she was.

She dropped to her knees started to wail when the tears came gushing out and flowed down her face. She felt her sweet little heart break into a hundred little pieces as her hands flew up to cover both of her eyes.

"DADDY!"

Thankfully her cries didn't go unnoticed.

"Kat? Katrielle? Is that you!?"

Her head raised and her eyes brightened when the realisation that she recognised that voice kicked in. Tears continued to cascade down her cheeks as she saw a familiar figure make a quick dash towards her, as the fog cleared a bit it was revealed to be none other than her big brother. He must have overheard some of the discussion and chased after Kat when she ran out the house.

"A-Al!"

Alfendi had awoken when he had heard the door slam open (when Kat slammed it open when she ran in pursuit of the Professor) and had decided to follow his baby sister to investigate what was happening here. He quickly rushed over to his baby sister and dropped to his knees to meet her on eye level; piercing yet perplexed golden eyes met innocent yet despairing baby blue ones as the two Layton siblings stared at one another.

Then, without another word, a whimpering Kat thrown her arms around Al's skinny little neck and buried her face into his left shoulder and proceeded to cry. Al was slightly caught off-guard by this and almost fell forwards due to the sudden extra weight but he caught himself and wrapped his skinny arms around the smaller girl, enveloping her in a tight embrace, and ran his hand up and down her back soothingly to try and make her feel better.

"Aw, Kat...what happened? What are you doing out here...?" He questioned the sobbing five-year-old gently, rubbing her back comfortingly.

Kat sniffled and sobbed whilst wiping her teary eyes against the fabric of her big brother's top. She felt safe and protected in Al's embrace and she couldn't help but feel a tad soothed by the fact that she wasn't all alone...and she hiccuped quietly as she started to relay what exactly happened before all of this happened.

"I...I woke up w-w-when I heard some noises and I went to h-have a look," She raised her head and looked sadly up at the 11-year-old, her eyes watery, "He said he w-was going away and...and he's g-g-gone...Daddy...Daddy is gone!"

Alfendi's heart stopped beating. His whole body stiffened and the muscles within thin arms bunched up sporadically, his mouth became agape and his hair turned from its calm and placid purple to a more darker shade as his yellow eyes turned orange and he found himself incapable of moving or even thinking. Shock overrode his system as the unbelievable news hit his ears.

He couldn't help but ask, his own words as blunt as a dull swords edge.

"Wh...What...?"

Kat repeated the sentence that Al couldn't bring himself to believe, proving that it wasn't just him hearing the wrong thing, much to his dismay, and he heard that his baby sister's voice was but a shrill squeak filled with fear and despair.

"D-Daddy left us, Alfendi...!"

The boy couldn't bring himself to believe this. His father would never leave, he had to have gone on a mission or something -that had to have been the only reason for this! But why wouldn't he say anything to him? Why did he just up and leave to go on some puzzling mystery adventure? Alfendi felt as though his heart had been wrapped up in a blanket of snow and his eyes remained unblinking and filled to the brim with total unheard of combination of perplexity and denial.

However Katrielle couldn't help but start to cry even harder as she howled in distress.

Al finally blinked a few times, bringing himself back to his senses for a moment, and he looked down at the five-year-old child with sympathy plastering itself on to his facial features. He tried to soothe Kat as he started petting her head consolingly, yet he couldn't hide the thick emotion clogging up his throat as he tried to be strong for Kat and he couldn't deny the absolute fear that he felt for their situation.

"There, there, there...don't cry...i-it's going to be alright..."

His gentle expression turned into a silent sneer, his face dark and his hair bristling as he gnashed his teeth.

He couldn't believe this...he just _couldn't_ believe this...

He could feel the tiny girl sobbing against him as she buried her tear-stained face against his chest, soaking his jammy top, but he didn't mind in the least because he knew that it was his duty as her big brother -whether they were related by blood or not- to protect and look out for her. He wasn't going to let anybody harm a hair on his baby sister and if they dared made an attempt then he would fight until he could not fight anymore.

The little girl clinging tightly to the boy had huge tears welling up inside her eyes as she snuffled and sobbed with her sweet little face twisting with fear, she couldn't help but cling on tightly to her big brother as though he were his lifeline.

She didn't want to lose him too!

Realising that she had probably completely soaked his jammies with her tears and snot by now, she reluctantly started to raise her head just a bit, her eyes still watery, and she never loosened her hold on Al's top as she looked into the face of Alfendi and her eyes widened a bit when she noticed that he had rather _primal_ expression on his face and his hair had turned into a shade that she had never seen before, his hair had become red with tints of purple mixed in.

She'd _never_ seen his hair turn that colour before.

Al held in his arms Katrielle just as tightly as she clung to him and he looked into the foggy direction ahead of them where their father had disappeared and glared determinedly and with nothing but revolve flashing in his eyes. His large pointed nose wrinkled up as he felt himself get really angry but really determined as well.

"We'll find him someday, Kat...I promise that we _will_ find him."

* * *

 **A/N: This is the final chapter of this short story about Katrielle's origins...or at least what I think they are.**

 **I tried to think up of a reason that everyone's favourite gentleman would leave so abruptly, but then I started to think of the fact that he left on a secret mission. That came to me when I remembered that now-Commissioner Barton seemed to know where the Professor went, (if you haven't played Laytons mystery room then play it now and you'll see what I mean) and I wondered whether everyone else in Scotland Yard (except Alfendi and the newer recruits) were aware but weren't allow to tell Kat and Alfendi for confidential reasons.**

 **So that's why I thought of the Professor leaving by the order of Scotland Yard so he could solve a mystery.**

 **I don't know if that's the real reason he disappeared or not, we shall have to wait if it's unveiled in the next Layton game.**

 **Please review, I love reviews!**

 **-Chloemcg**


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